loving you
by quasi una fantasia
Summary: Where Noctis always gets what he wants. —lightis.


'_No, you don't understand, Light. He wouldn't take his medicine. He didn't even budge when we threatened to bring his father. He only said "I'll take my medicine if Lightning's here with me." every time one of us tried to persuade him. God, I never knew Noctis could be so stubborn! Anyway, we don't mean to bother you, but he just wouldn't listen to us. So, will you please come back home, now?'_

A sigh escaped Lightning's lips. She shook her head softly and read the text message once again.

_'Only if I'm with him, huh?'_ She thought with mild irritation.

With a scoff, she snapped her shiny black flip phone closed and put it on her trench coat's pocket.

It was the text message Stella sent her twelve hours ago.

Lightning turned her gaze to her right, absently watching the beautiful landscape passed by in a blur through the train's square window. It was pouring rain now, the sky was heavy with dark clouds.

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned her head on the plush seat. Her eyes following the trail of raindrops as they slid down the window's glass. Her thoughts were focused on Noctis.

Lightning smirked in amusement. Stella—well, all her friends actually, must be very tired and desperate enough in _taking care_ of Noctis that they all now practically begging her to come home and take over their job. She knew very well how childish Noctis could be when he wanted to.

A fond smile formed on her lips.

Noctis was her boyfriend of two years now and as such, this kind of behavior did not surprise her at all. Though it did not stop her from feeling a tiny bit annoyed at him. Really now, she was only gone for two weeks out of the country and when he was sick—as Noctis told Stella: "Agonizing headache, painful cold, and sore as hell body." —he refused to take his medicines if it was not her who feed him the pills and take care of him.

She was supposedly had to stay in Tenebrae, Stella's hometown, for three months for a military exchange program between Tenebrae, and Lucis: her and Noctis' hometown. But now she was forced to come home because her baby boyfriend—who is the Crown Prince of Lucis itself—was having a fever and refused to see a doctor or be treated by their friends, or anyone for that matter, and only wanted her to take care of him.

Lightning sighed once again and closed her eyes, trying to get a wink of sleep.

The things she did for Noctis. She had an intense training the day before and her body was still all sore like crazy, but when she received Stella's text message in the middle of the night, then a phone call, she had immediately dragged herself out of the bed and packed her bag to go home. Her friends had been trying to get Noctis to take his medicines, but it was to no avail. Now she was the last resort to resolve this problem.

Sometimes Noctis could be so difficult to deal with.

With a last conscious thought, Lightning drifted off to sleep. _'But, he is my everything.'_

**.**

**.**

"We will leave you now. Okay, Noct?" Stella said softly to an unmoving Noctis.

He was in a bundle of blanket on his bed, his back was turned to her, there was a sullen expression on his red face and every now and then he would cough or sneeze. Though she could clearly see the dark circles under his eyes, he still stubbornly said that he was not sleepy or tired. She almost snorted at this.

For god's sake, how was it possible that this same man who could easily intimidate many _strong_ men thrice his size at first glance now acting no different than a kid who had been denied of his demands?

Noctis just would not listen to anyone. He had simply fixed his ever faithful friends, which was her, Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus, Serah, Vanille, Fang, and Snow, with a stare and said: "I want Lightning." with all the seriousness he could muster in his weakened state. Though it should had stronger effect if it was not for his slightly red nose, almost drooping eyes, and somewhat a pout on his lips ruining his display of stubbornness. The boys tried so hard to hide their snickers when they saw that sulky Noctis.

It was two days ago, and Noctis had managed to hold on to his stubbornness until now. He did not want to care that Lightning was far away, working. He simply wanted his Lightning by his side.

Heaving a long sigh, Stella silently pulled the thick blanket over Noctis' exposed back and proceed to leave his bedroom.

She just had to leave it to Lightning now.

**.**

**.**

_Why didn't she come for me?_ Noctis thought with a frown.

Was her works were more important than him? It had been three days since he fell sick and he still had not heard a thing from her. And damn Prompto for confiscating his phone, 'cause otherwise he would already have called Lightning himself.

Noctis groaned in pain when his headache came back with a vengeance. He really felt like shit.

Sniffing back the mild snot in his nose, he turned around to lay on his back. With a still stuffy nose and heavy eyes he stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. Maybe he should just take those medicines that his friends had tried to feed him?

Images of Lightning flitted through his mind: her smiling face, the way she laughed, her kisses and hugs for him—

"No," Noctis huffed in frustration. "Just no." Then promptly he laid back on his stomach. He would not give up now. No matter what, he would wait for Lightning.

Through half lidded eyes, he stared one last time at the picture frame on his bedside table then slowly fell asleep.

He missed her so bad.

**.**

**.**

Lightning made a dash from the yellow cab, her purple messenger bag was hovering over her head as a made-up umbrella. The rain had gotten heavier now, cold wind was blowing harshly, and the deep sound of thunder rumbling in the sky. She sighed in relief when she reached the entrance foyer of Noctis' apartment building.

It was truly quite a surprise when Noctis brought her to this place for the first time. She would never have thought a person like him, The Prince, could live in a very simple place like this. The apartment was a five storey building, located in the outskirts of town where you could still find peace and tranquility around the streets; very different from the bustling downtown life.

But then again Noctis had always liked quietness, so that was probably the reason why he preferred to stay here as much as possible over his luxurious mansion which was located in the heart of the nation's capital.

Lightning gave a small smile to the old lady at the reception desk and made her way for the elevator. Noctis' room was on the fifth floor.

She stared at her reflection on the elevator mirror absently. It would be just her and Noctis alone now since Stella and Prompto had left a few hours ago. They only checked on him one last time, but they did not tell him that she was coming home.

A small 'ding' sound later and the elevator's doors were opened. Lightning walked down the empty corridors and came to a stop before a door with a number 510 engraved on a golden plate. She rummaged her bag for the spare keys Noctis gave her a long time ago. It had been quite a long time since she last visited this place.

Tentatively she opened the door, and met with complete silence. She closed the door gently, locked it back immediately and took a minute to swept her gaze over the empty room.

Lightning hung her beige trench coat on the coat rack by the door—which left her in a simple thin white blouse and dark blue jeans—and kicked off her boots. The wooden floor felt chilly under her feet as she made her way down the dimly lit corridors. Everything was as tidy as ever, which was not a surprise seeing that Noctis was a neat person. The lights were all out, only a scarce light seeped through the curtains that guided her to Noctis' bedroom.

His bedroom door was left ajar. She pushed the door slowly, and met with a sight which brought a big smile on her lips.

Noctis was sprawled on his back; a thick blanket tangled in his legs, black sweatpants were hanging low on his hips, his ridden up white shirt allowed her a peek of his chiseled abs, strong arms laid around his head, and his spiky dark hair was strewn around his peacefully sleeping face.

Lightning resisted the urge to groan at this. God, how she missed to circled her arms around his lean body. Her tiring long journey from Tenebrae felt like nothing now. It was this thing that made her somewhat felt ashamed of herself; how Noctis could bend her will with just a look at him. She most definitely wished she did not have to go back to Tenebrae and just stay here with him, snuggled in his warm arms.

Really, it took all of her willpower to not jumped at him right now. Only Noctis could make a simple sleeping posture while he was sick looked so damn sexy.

Sighing in defeat, Lightning dropped her bag on the floor and walked up to Noctis' side. She sat down on the bed near his hip. Looking at him closely, a worry look flitted through her face. It seemed Noctis was not sleeping as peacefully as she had thought. There was a deep furrow between his eyebrows, sheen of sweat on his forehead, and he had slight difficulty in breathing.

Should she wake him up, or not? Lightning debated with herself. He looked uncomfortable in his sleep, but she always had an aversion when it came to a matter of waking Noctis up from his sleep. Whether he was sick or not, it just felt like a crime whenever she disturbed his sleep. He just looked too beautiful when he was sleeping. Though he never mind her for waking him up from his sleeps, she just could not help but feel guilty for doing the deed.

Her worried face turned into a determined one when she shifted her eyes to the bedside table; there laid his medicines, all still perfectly sealed, never been touched. This stubborn man really carried out his words of not wanting to take his damn medicines without her.

Moving her body closer to him, Lightning called his name softly. "Noctis?" Her right hand caressed his bangs out of his forehead, feeling his warm temperature.

"Noctis?" She repeated in a louder voice. But still there was no response.

She leaned closer toward him, her hand cupped his left cheek, a thumb stroking the faint dark circle under his eye.

Did he has trouble sleeping?

'Way to go, Lightning.' She chided herself as guilt rushed over her. He did all of this just so he could see her? She recalled what Stella told her over the phone last night; _'Don't blame him, Light. He really wants to see you. You know, every time he was awake, he would always lay on his right side; droopy eyes staring at your picture frame on the bedside table, with this longing look always there on his face__—_ _He just wants your attention, really.'_

Her gaze fell to said picture frame. It was a photo they took three months ago. They were at the beach. Noctis was clad only in beach shorts while she was in a two piece bikini; she was perched on his back, her arms securely circled his broad shoulders, while his arms were under her bent knees, holding her tight against him. Her left cheek laid next to his right and they both had identical bright smiles on their faces. It was a particularly windy day, she recalled. The beautiful shimmering sea was the background of the picture.

Serah was the one who insisted they took that picture; because they looked so adorable, she said.

A small smile graced her lips as she reminisced that day. Now that she thought of this, she and Noctis had been so busy with work that they barely had any time together. Sure there were phone calls, text messages, a brief time spent to grab lunch together; but rarely they had a quality time together.

Well, this was a good chance to finally spent their time together. She got a brief break from her training program in Tenebrae.

Lightning pressed her lips against the shell of his left ear. "Noctis, wake up. It's me," she called to him, her hand still caressing his cheek. "You need to wake up now, _Prince Charming_." She stressed the last words, her pet name for him.

The effect was instant. A groan left Noctis' lips.

Lightning watched in fascination as his long lashes fluttered then his eyes were opened, showing her his beautiful pale blue eyes. He exhaled deeply then licked his dry lips. When his sight finally focused on her, she offered him a warm smile. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized her hovering form. As if in disbelief, he brought a hand to rub his eyes. When she was still there, sitting beside him patiently, he knew he was not dreaming of her finally came home. Relieved washed over him.

"Light." The way he said her name in an obvious longing made her heart fluttered. He was about to say something more when suddenly he closed his eyes, and a sneezed left his nose. His body curled up in fetal position as he moaned painfully while clutching his stomach.

_Ouch. _She knew that feeling very well; this type of sneeze which took a lot of energy and left your stomach cramped for a second. She really felt bad for him, so she stroked his back in a comforting manner.

As Noctis moved to lay on his back, he shot his left arm and swept Lightning down with him; crushing her smaller body in his arms. She found herself being tucked under his chin, one of his arm covering her shoulders and the other snaked around her waist.

"You are so annoying." She heard Noctis grumbled hoarsely. There was definitely a pout in his tone, alright.

"Yeah, said a baby who made me traveled fourteen hours to feed him his medicines." Lightning countered in a flat voice. _See? Such a baby_, she thought.

"No, really. You are annoying," Noctis insisted, if possible his grip on her got even tighter now. "I've been waiting for you. I almost thought that you probably don't care about me anymore, or maybe you've found another attractive man in Tenebrae." He said the last part in a somewhat dark tone.

With a struggle Lightning freed herself from Noctis' arms. She stared at his face for a moment. Despite seeing how serious he seemed to be, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Noctis watched his girlfriend clutched her stomach as she laughed wholeheartedly. Was it so funny to think like he did? He thought with a deep frown. Well, no one could blame him; Lightning was just too damn attractive. Her initial cold personality always managed to make any man feel challenged to get past her 'barrier'.

_'And maybe even trying to steal her heart.' _He thought with much resentment.

Noctis sniffed in distaste then turned his back to Lightning.

Silly woman. Didn't she know how worried he was every time they were to separate from each other? He didn't doubt Lightning's faithfulness in their relationship, it was those men he was worried about. When he was not on her side, they would not know that she was already taken, that she was his.

He admitted he never felt so strongly possessive over anything, anyone, but Lightning. It was as if like she was the only thing he needed in this world; the thought of losing her was completely unaccepted. Luckily she never seemed to mind him being possessive—'cause he knew how much of an ass he could be when he was in his possessive moments over her.

Lightning let out a few more chuckles when she saw Noctis turned his back on her. _'Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't have laughed like that.' _She thought idly, seeing how Noctis practically glared at the curtains like his very life depended on it. She knew whenever Noctis was sick or badly missed her he would always act like a spoiled kid. He may not show it to other people, but when they were alone; only then he would show his true color. It was as if like he only let his guard down for her.

But seriously, now. The thought of falling for another man was beyond ridiculous to her. Was Noctis being serious? She had traveled a lot and met so many people, but yet she never seen a single man that could match Noctis' level of attractiveness. Not even a silver haired General, a redhead elite soldier, or even a shy and timid blonde infantryman she met in a far away land could shake her love for Noctis; they were enough to catch her attention but never would be enough to match her Noctis.

He should have known by now that she only had her eyes on him. Though at his state now, she just knew it was no use to explain it—again—to him. It was best to just comply with anything he wanted.

Lightning scooted herself closer to Noctis, sitting near his waist. She tugged gently at his sleeve. "Hey, I'm sorry, alright?"

He did not even budge in the slightest. With a sigh, Lightning tugged more persistently. "Noctis, I really am sorry. I won't do it again, I promise."

A short silence ensued, then she called him once again. "Noctis?"

Still no recognition. It was like she did not even exist. A pout formed on her lips.

_'Why is he being so hard?'_ Lightning thought. She really hated it when Noctis gave her the silence treatment; kidding or not. It was better if he shouted at her face, showed her his feelings. Anything was better than a cold shoulder and silence.

As Noctis still brooding inside his emo world, he suddenly heard a rustle behind him then Lightning's gentle voice wafted through the silent room.

"Sticks and stones are hard on bones. Aimed with angry art, words can sting like anything. But silence breaks the heart." Lightning cited somberly, and somewhat sadly.

Noctis kept his back to her a moment longer, then deliberately turned his body around. With an arched eyebrow, he fixed Lightning with a questioning look that said _'What are you doing?'_

Lightning grinned, feeling very much accomplished, and jumped him. She snaked her arms around his torso tightly and put her head atop his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. "I'm sorry. Don't ignore me, please." She said in a small voice.

Noctis huffed in disbelief. What was she doing acting like a damsel in distress? What with that sad, miserable expression on her face. He pulled her closer, tucked her head under his chin and hugged her tightly. "Don't act like a poet now, Light." He said with rolled eyes. "You're so silly sometimes."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway." Lightning answered confidently. She flashed Noctis a beaming smile and pecked his lips, completely ignoring the risk of contracting a cold from him. She snuggled closer against him. "You're so warm, Noct." A satisfied sigh escaped her lips. "How convenient you're sick when the weather's so freezing cold like this. You felt so much better than a heater." She let out a tinkling laugh at this.

"Glad you think so." Noctis grunted. A while later he groaned and clutched his head. "Damn headache." He cursed under his breath.

Lightning sighed and reluctantly pulled out of Noctis' arms. "It's about time you're getting sick, anyway." She cupped his cheeks and stared him down seriously. "You've been working too hard, you rarely got any rest. You're a human, Noct, not a robot. You need to rest." Lightning admonished sternly, a serious expression on her face.

"Look who's talking. You've been so busy with work too," Noctis countered, a dark frown on his face. "The army have been seeing you more often than I have. How unfair."

"But I'm not the one who's fallen ill now, am I?" Lightning said with a smug face then pinched his nose playfully while he could only glower in distaste.

The rain was to blame for his condition now. Who would have thought that walking down the street in a drizzling rain could make someone sick? Well, maybe he should have dried himself first instead of instantly slept through the night with his soaked attire after he crashed his apartment room. But he was so deadly tired at the time. Which then—proved Lightning's point; he needed the rest.

_'Why is she always right?'_ Noctis thought perplexedly.

"Come on, let's get you something to eat." Lightning yanked Noctis out of the bed and dragged him through the dark corridors to the kitchen. "I'll make you chicken soup, okay?" She looked behind her shoulder at him. He hummed in answer, clutching her hand tightly in his larger one.

Noctis sat silently as Lightning prepared his late lunch. He watched through half lidded eyes as she managed to find her way around his kitchen so easily, and skillfully chopped the vegetables like a true chef. She looked really happy.

Noctis put one elbow on the table and propped his chin at the heel of his left palm. His eyes intently following Lightning's movements.

She was truly one beautiful woman. She was smart, she cooked well, she cared for him, she listened to him; she valued him. He could confide in her about everything. He trusted her with his whole life. She was always this soothing presence when he felt the world was against him. She was strong and brave too—

She was his everything.

_'She'll make a great wife,' _Noctis pondered. _'She'll be my wife.'_

"What are you smirking on about now?" Lightning asked curiously as she laid a bowl of chicken soup before Noctis. He shook his head with a mysterious grin on his face.

"You should know soon, Dear." He said somewhat— cheerfully.

Lightning shrugged her shoulders and sat down beside him, a cup of warm cocoa in her hands. She took small sips at her drink, enjoying the warm sensation it brought in her stomach. But it was short lived however when she heard Noctis cleared his throat pointedly.

Lightning glanced at Noctis, then to the untouched soup, and settled her gaze on him again. She narrowed her eyes while Noctis simply stared back at her innocently.

"What? You want me to feed you?" She laughed at herself, thinking it was just a joke. But when Noctis kept staring at her without any indication to touch his soup, she openly gawked at him in disbelief. She put down her cocoa on the dining table none too gently and growled at him. "You're so unbelievable."

Noctis grinned happily as Lightning took his soup and scooped some of its contents on a silver spoon. He scooted closer to her and lowered his face to make it easier for her to feed him. As he chewed on his first bite, relishing the rich and delicious taste of the meal, he could not help but think how was it possible that a simple chicken soup could taste so wonderful?

"Yeah, but you love me anyway." Noctis answered Lightning, using her earlier words back to her, a boyish grin plastered on his handsome face, then he planted a quick, chaste kiss on her rosy lips.

Involuntarily Lightning felt her cheeks heated up in a blush. A fit of giggles escaped her lips as she looked at Noctis; he was giving her one of his sweet smiles now.

Even after two years being together, Noctis could still manage to melt her heart so helplessly easy. He was the only man who could make her feel like a schoolgirl fall in love for the first time.

Lightning watched as Noctis eagerly opened his mouth for another bite. She smiled fondly and proceeded to feed him again.

_'He is my Noctis.'_ She thought lovingly, her lips still tingling from his kiss.

**::**

* * *

><p><em>Disclaimer: Final Fantasy © Square Enix.<br>Unbeta'ed._


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